The present invention relates in general to chromatography and adsorption processes and, more particularly, to a novel adsorbent comprising silicon carbide, which is especially suitable as a support in chromatography.
Numerous materials are known which are able to adsorb one or more different substances, for example, cellulose, kieselguhr, alumina, and, above all, silica gel in its various modifications. However, some of these materials, particularly silica gel, are unstable in an alkaline medium. Consequently, they cannot be employed or can be employed only to a limited extent for certain substances which are only stable to bases, i.e., in particular, for substances of biological origin. Moreover, when subjected to undue mechanical stresses, such as frequent stirring or the use of high pressure in liquid chromatography, silica gel tends to be unstable. Porous materials, in particular, break and crumble easily and thus lose their usefulness as adsorbents.
It is thus desirable to have an adsorbent and chromatographic support material which has high physical and chemical stability, as well as good adsorption and separation capabilities.